Showing results by narrator "Travis Baldree" in All Categories

The blood of the Ancients is the most coveted ingredient in all of Damaris. The fabled elixir made from it grants those who drink it life that extends far beyond natural means. There is no higher honor in the kingdom then being granted the privilege of bidding for it. And the people found with the cursed blood? By law, they are the rightful property of the kingdom. They are tributes.

Even with the Whispering Sword and the Mask of the Fallen, Arik still isn't strong enough to take on the southern warlord threatening the entire continent. To reach his goal, Arik will need to master the art of using two weapons. But progression is never easy, especially with newfound enemies and the erratic behavior of his illusionist companion. Heading west, Arik hopes to reconvene with a former teacher through spiritual means. If it's possible, he will have a fighting chance. If not, Arik will need to find another way to grow his skill.

The might of nations rises and falls with the same inexorable certainty of the oceans. Powers, unseen and unknown, push and pull with relentless determination. The currents that shape the world are easily ignored, until the waters rise and the people drown. In the Kingdom of Wahrheit, the tide has turned, and the water is rising. A new ruler sits upon an ancient throne. Foreign nations, for centuries cowed by the strength of Wahrheit’s dragons and her armies, rise in defiance to throw off the old order.

Clay Jaeger and his family have faced down hordes of mobs, evil forces, and deadly Dungeon Lords since they came to the IZ, but this is the first time all of Civilization has been turned against them. Framed for heinous crimes they didn’t commit, Clay, Alex, and Joe will have to fight back with every resource the wasteland has at its disposal. If that includes taking over a dungeon and turning it against their enemies, so be it. This time, it’s not just the Jaegers’ lives on the line. This is bigger than them. The freedom of every wastelander and mob in the IZ is at stake.

Headmaster. Exile. Gladiator. Backed into a corner, Artorian must play fast and loose with the laws of the land. To gather what he needs to progress, he will need to sacrifice what he’s gained in order to get this far. With his new school and friends facing their most deadly challenges yet, Artorian finds an opportunity to keep them safe. The cost of it may be access to the new home he’s built, but that was never intended to be for him.

The When Swords Fall Silent anthology showcases the imaginations and talents of more than a dozen of the best modern science-fiction and fantasy authors, with each tale centered around one or more characters burdened with a bloody task they will see to completion no matter the cost. Every story takes you for a vicious ride through a world of shadow and death, each as unique in perspective and execution as the contracts carried out within.

Betrayed. Murdered. Reborn. One last chance, to make it right. Theo's adventure ended with his mentor's hands around his neck. The betrayal cost him his friends, allies and everything he had built... but not his life. Though broken and powerless, Theo has one last chance to enter the Nine Worlds, wielding the knowledge and expertise of his first life. This time, he needs more than just power, he needs to unravel the deception that killed him once... and is coming for him again.

The Junzi - also known as the Four Gentlemen - are a set of ancient weapons fashioned from remnants. Dragons refer to them as the Four Storms, and Hisoka Twineshaft believes they will make a difference in the hunt for the rogue. But someone else is interested in gathering up these crystal masterpieces. The so-called Gentleman Bandit is responsible for two thefts already, and Hisoka is concerned for the Bamboo Stave. So he deploys an elite taskforce to guard the treasure. And to catch a thief.

Alex discovers he has been dropped in the middle of an ancient struggle for power, in a land where magic replaces science. If he can survive the near future, he has the potential to become a great wizard, feared by the very people he needs to protect. 

Artorian wakes on a brand-new planet, refreshed and ready to make some mischief now that he’s back in Cal’s soul space! Eternium is old news; in fact, now that Barry is completely forked, the curtains on Eternia’s Alpha have closed. Being awake has its upsides, but there are a few...concerns. Cal, even unconscious, is pushing the boundaries of the double-S ranks. With oaths and promises in peril, should he breach that rank before letting people live their lives, Artorian will hustle and bustle to lay the groundwork for mass-decanting. Surely nothing will go wrong.

Gus is a henchman separated from his friends at his new job, a henchman on an orbiting space base. He's happy with the gig, and has no real delusions of grandeur. Well...small delusions, but he’s seen all too often what happens to minions that get too uppity around their supervillain bosses. His father had pulled a few strings and landed him a henchman position in hopes he could make something of himself. Before he's barely gotten used to the job, Gus narrowly escapes the base's destruction and is chucked at the planet below.

Songs of the Amaranthine is a collection of short stories set in Forthright's Amaranthine universe. Before the Emergence, the clans were nothing more than whispers and mysteries and legends and lore. But every so often—in out-of-the-way places or shockingly close to home—an unsuspecting person stumbled into a fateful encounter with someone who was decidedly other.

Wang Fan will bring forth the storm of souls, or die trying. Once a simple detective, Wang's world changed forever when he learned of Sinotech's evil plan to sacrifice humanity for the sake of a few elites. But now that the Naturalism Sect has the Sun's Blood, they have a chance to end their foe’s tyranny. It all depends on a simple mission in the First Heaven, the foundation and heart of the Grand Kingdom. But plans rarely go as intended.

Though Arthur Leywin would like nothing more than to pursue his studies at the esteemed Xyrus Academy, where he hopes to push his already potent magical abilities to new plateaus and perhaps discover something more about his reincarnation into this world, he finds the politics of the school's halls even more challenging to navigate than those of the council chambers he once inhabited as King Grey.

The holidays have been anything but relaxing for Lazarus Kerrigan. Between planning a wedding and selling his house, he's barely had a moment to think about the supernatural. When strange, Christmas-themed monsters begin attacking him in the open, it's time for the gloves to come off. Mask is making his move. Lazarus and company are determined to take the fight to him.

After his town is put to the sword and the children are taken to replace the fallen, an old man is out for revenge. He’s ready to fail at the most difficult challenge in the world: cultivation. Too corrupted to even take the first steps, the sly old elder simply agreed with those who told him that it was impossible. Then, he quietly ignored them, rubbed his hands together, and started anyway. He had always failed in what he did. The only thing that had never failed him was his sharp mind and philosophy. He would cultivate...no matter what it cost him.

The Guild of Navigators has ruled the Aion Sea for centuries, using their fleet of mystical ships to collect trade for the Aurelian Empire. Now, the Emperor is dead. For Calder Marten, Captain of The Testament, the Emperor’s death is not an end, but an opportunity. He and his crew seek the legendary Heart of Nakothi, an artifact that could raise a second Emperor...and earn Calder a fortune. But they’re not the only ones who want the Heart. The Consultant’s Guild, an ancient order of spies and assassins, will stop at nothing to keep the world in chaos.

An all-star urban fantasy collection featuring short stories from #1 New York Times bestselling authors Jim Butcher, Patricia Briggs, Charlaine Harris, Kelley Armstrong, and more . . . In this short story collection of courage, adventure, and magic, heroes—ordinary people who do the right...

Artorian has decided to live, all in order to save his lost village children. His recent battle against a simple raider captain has proven that if he tries to charge ahead...he'll die. With the help of his captors, who quickly turn into close friends, Artorian takes the first steps onto the path of a true cultivator. Finesse, skill, fine-tuned cultivation techniques, and more is within his grasp. Artorian is more than willing to learn; after all, that's his specialty!

For 600 years, the kingdom of Wahrheit was ruled by an unbroken line. It rose on a wave of technology and magic and stood alone—a bastion of stability built on pillars of economic and military might. The nation and her people thrived due to the strength of soldiers and the protection of dragons. But the line has ended—the king is dead. Noble houses vie to carve out their own domains. Foreign armies march across Wahrheit’s soil for the first time in memory. Without leadership, the king’s army watches helplessly.